Heartbroken Warriors return to court to face Hawks...

Heartbroken Warriors return to court to face Hawks

On Wednesday night in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors will honor the memory of late assistant coach Dejan Milojevic before

taking on the enviable task of competing in an NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Last Tuesday night, during a team dinner in Salt Lake City with other Golden State coaches, players, and staff, Milojevic had a heart

attack. The NBA had to postpone the Warriors’ next two games after he passed away early the following morning at the hospital.

Golden State, visibly shocked by the untimely death of the 46-year-old, took six days off. Some players even opted not to show up for a

scheduled practice on Monday, telling coach Steve Kerr they weren’t quite ready to go back just yet. Tuesday marked the conclusion of

the team’s complete practice after a week of largely inactivity following a 116-107 loss against Memphis on January 15.

“We needed (time to mourn). I want to thank the NBA, Adam Silver, for postponing those two games,” Kerr said Monday. “There’s no

way any of us could have walked out onto a court and played a basketball game either (last) Wednesday or Friday.”

A video remembrance of Milojevic, who began his NBA coaching career with the Hawks summer league squad in 2016 and was in his

third season with Golden State, will be shown prior to the Hawks vs. Warriors game. Before he hooked up with Kerr, the longstanding

head coach in Europe was also on the summer-league rosters of the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs. Kevon Looney, a center

for the Warriors who worked closely with Milojevic, acknowledged that he is ready for the hectic NBA schedule to return.

“Playing basketball and competing on the floor is the most enjoyable aspect of our lives. That’s the reason the whole family is here,” he

remarked. “I’m excited to simply be able to enter the game and begin playing.

All I want to do is return to the court and attempt to lose myself in the game that I adore.”

The Hawks have had four games since the Warriors’ loss in Memphis, beating the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat before losing to the

Cleveland Cavaliers and Kings. Monday’s 122-107 setback at Sacramento began a two-game California swing. The game against

Orlando came on the same day as the news broke of Milojevic’s passing. Hawks guard and fellow Serbian Bogdan Bogdanovic — noting

he never played for Milojevic but went against him when he was a player in Europe — considered asking out of the Magic game.